Malaysian riders wilt under the Spanish sun

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian riders endured a difficult time under the hot sun in the Spanish Grand Prix as they finished outside the points.

With track temperature up to 44°C on Sunday, Moto3 rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin finished 20th with a time of 41:59.744.

The Ongetta AirAsia rider started from 23rd on the grid but had a bad start that pushed him down to 27th on the first lap before clawing his way up to 20th.

“I had a really bad start and I had to overtake many riders to be where I finished. I will try to hit the ground running on Friday’s free practice at the French GP if we want to achieve a better result,” said Zulfahmi.

Compatriot Amirul Hafiq Azmi of Team SIC Ajo was placed 24th with a time of 42:16.397.

The race was won by Romano Fenati of Italy. Starting from 10th on the grid, he moved his way up to complete the 23-lap race in 41:28.584.

In Moto2, Petronas Raceline rider Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah improved five places to finish 21st with a time of 45:56.632.

Idemitsu Honda Team Asia rider Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman also improved from his starting grid of 31st spot. He finished 24th after clocking 46:01.427.

“The high temperature made it a difficult race for me. The front tyre was slippery and it was a bit tricky when I tried to push hard. Several times I almost went wide. Luckily, I managed to control the bike,” said Hafizh.